OverviewYou can build your own external hard drive for less money than you can buy a pre-packaged one. Also, you may find that you do not even need hard drive enclosures at all. With a "Hard Drive Dock" you can simply insert a hard drive and treat it as removable media. This is excellent for creating complete backups of your computer, for example to keep an off-site backup.
Products to ConsiderAll prices and capacities were current on the date of writing this article, 4/25/2010 but they will certainly change as time goes on.Disclaimer: I have no association with amazon.com, Vantec, Seagate or Boxer, nor do I earn any kind of commission or incentive of any kind should you purchase any of these items. I purchase items from amazon.com and have been very happy with their almost instant 24x7 customer service. Your mileage may vary.
Hard DriveFirst, you need to purchase a hard drive. I recommend a Seagate hard drive. Here is one that I purchased recently.
External EnclosureIf you want to leave the drive connected to your computer you might want to use a dedicated enclosure. It will connect to your computer via a USB 2.0 connection.
In fact, any SATA II to USB enclosure will work, and there are plenty to choose from. I have used this enclosure for years and it has performed well for me.
Screwdriver SetIf you plan to use an enclosure like the above then you'll need a tiny #1 screwdriver. You might consider one of these inexpensive screwdriver kits with interchangeable bits of many different types (flathead, phillips, torx and hex). I own two of these kits and love them because the tips are magnetic and hold onto the screws:
Hard Drive DocksHowever, a more flexible approach is to use a hard drive dock. This is especially useful if you think you might need more than one external drive and to change them out from time to time, e.g. as part of a backup rotation scheme or offsite backup scheme. For example:
In fact, any SATA II to USB or Firewire hard drive dock will work, and there are several to choose from. I have used the single drive dock myself for over a year and it has performed well for me.
Hard Drive Dock vs. External EnclosureThe Hard Drive Dock approach has the advantage of not requiring a screwdriver to assemble the enclosure. Just plug the drive in firmly. But, you must remember that the hard drive is vulnerable when it is not in the dock. When it is not in its dock you must always keep hard drives in the shiney plastic bag it was delivered in. This special bag prevents static charge from damaging the drive. And the bag will also protect the drive against minor moisture damagae, such as a spilled cup of coffee, etc. When handling the drive, hold it only by the sides -- never touch the exposed circuits, connectors, etc.An enclosure has the advantage of protecting the drive well and if you never intend to swap the drive out and don't need to use multiple external drives it is probably a more stable and aesthetic choice. It is arguably less vulnerable to drive damage due to spills, etc. It's a good choice for a drive you intend to share over your network with other computers because you will not mistakenly remove it from the dock when it comes time to make a backup, etc.
Step-by-Step InstructionsHere is a quick summary: First, before you open up the plastic bag containing the hard drive, touch an electrical ground such as a metal part on your mac. Now open up the plastic bag containing your hard drive and touch the metal part of your mac and then, while still touching your Mac, also touch the side of drive inside. Then, while still touching your Mac, also touch a metal part of the external enclosure (not a chrome plastic part!)
Initializing an External DriveRegardless of what kind of means you use to hold your drive (dock or enclosure) Plug in the power supply and connect the dock or enclosure to your computer with a USB 2.0 cable. Some enclosures also have a Firewire 400 or Firewire 800 connector. Once you make this connection your Mac will recognize the dock or enclosure, but it will not be able to directly use the hard drive It will report that the drive cannot be recognized and will ask if you want to initialize it.
Click "Initialize" and your Mac will open up Disk Utility for you. You can also find Disk Utility in the Applications->Utilities folder. The drive is not yet initialized -- you will need to configure how it is initialized in Disk Utility.
One Volume or Many?After selecting the drive on the left (be sure to select the right one!!!!!) you either click the "Partition" tab at the top of Disk Utility to configure how the disk will be initialized.You have a few choices to make about how the disk will be initialized. The first big choice is whether to set it up as one logical volume or to divide it up into smaller logical volumes. Multiple logical volumes means that the physical hard drive will seem to contain more than one logical hard drive drive, each with its own name and dedicated size. There are many possible reasons for dividing up the external drive, but whatever your reasons, be aware that you cannot change the partitioning without erasing the drive and starting over. You cannot add or remove partitions and you cannot change their size without losing all data on the drive. Here are some potential reasons to partition the drive:
Some arguments against partitioning include:
One Logical VolumeIf you only want one logical volume, then after you have clicked Partition at the top of Disk Utility you'll see a page like this.
Give the disk a name and then click "Options" at the bottom of the page. It pops up an action sheet that looks like this:
If you have an Intel Mac, choose GUID partition. If you have a G4 or G5 Mac choose the older Apple Partition Map. Then click OK. Take a moment to be absolutely certain you are initializing your new drive and not some other drive already connected to your computer. When you're certain, click "Apply."
You will be prompted to confirm.
Finally, click "Erase" on the confirmation popup to begin initializing the disk. When the initialization is complete you may quit Disk Utility and begin using your external drive! You can ignore the rest of this article -- you're done.
Partitioning Your Hard Drive (Multiple Logical Volumes)If you choose to divide your external hard drive into multiple logical volumes then after you should click the "Partition" tab at the top of Disk Utility. You will see something like this:
You can select how many partitions you want the drive to contain in the Volume Scheme menu, or you can click the small + and - icons under the column of partition rectangles to add and remove partitions. Here is what it looks like with three equal partitions:
Each partition must have its own name. Select a partition and type in its name. Select the next partition and give it a name, and so on until all partitions have a name. You may adjust the size of partitions by dragging the border between them, but you'll find that dragging them affects the size of other partitions. I usually begin by dragging the bottom parition border all the way down as far as it goes, and then I do the same for the next partition border up from the bottom, and so on until all borders are as close to the bottom as possible. Then adjust the size of the top partition. Then adjust the size of the second partition, and so on until all parititions have the size you wish.
Then click "Options" at the bottom of the page. It pops up an action sheet that looks like this:
If you have an Intel Mac, choose GUID partition. If you have a G4 or G5 Mac choose the older Apple Partition Map. Then click OK. Take a moment to be absolutely certain you are initializing your new drive and not some other drive already connected to your computer. When you're certain, click "Apply."
You will be prompted to confirm.
Finally, click "Erase" on the confirmation popup to begin initializing the disk. When the initialization is complete you may quit Disk Utility and begin using all the volumes on your external drive!
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